The Clue in the Crossword Puzzle
by Col3725
Summary: Booth finds a way to let Brennan know the truth. *Spoilers for the season finale*


**_I'm still a little bitter about the ending of the finale, so I had to write this to make myself feel better. Hope you like it. _**

* * *

Brennan's sitting at the island counter, staring out the window above the sink, her eyes swollen and tinged red still.

"Ma-ma," Christine jabbers.

Brennan shakes her head and turns towards her daughter's scowling face, feigning a smile. She picks up the bowl the little girl is stretching out for and clears her throat, swallowing. She scoops up some of the oatmeal and feeds it to Christine, watching her scowl disappear instantly. "You never came to bed last night," she mentions a few minutes later when she sees Booth enter the kitchen out of the corner of her eye.

Booth nods. "No."

Her chest tightens at the feel of his hand on her shoulder. She shrugs it off and wipes the corners of Christine's mouth.

"Look, Bones, I—."

She stands up, walking around him to the sink. She sets the empty bowl down and then returns to the highchair, hoisting the toddler up and onto her hip. "I have to get ready for work."

He leans forward, his elbows pressed into the countertop, bowing his head with a sigh. When he hears her retreating footsteps up the stairs, he pushes himself upright and reaches for the newspaper. He rounds the island and takes a seat, flipping the paper to the crossword puzzle. He takes a pen out of his breast pocket and stares at the empty boxes. "One across," he mumbles, "ten letter word for proposal." _Really? First my dreams are taunting me, now the damn paper! _He grunts, scribbling in the letters.

He shakes his head, feeling his chest constrict and the tears push against the back of his eyes. "One down," he swallows, "four letters, short for a trade fair." He scowls at the clue, reading it over and over and over again. "Ah-ha. Expo." He fills in the boxes, triumphantly.

He reads through some of the other clues in the top left corner and stops at eighteen across, tapping his pen against the counter. "Six letters, sociopath." He stills his pen and turns his head when he hears footsteps. "You want a ride to work?"

She shakes her head, hoisting Christine higher on her hip and adjusting her arms for a better hold. "No, thank you."

"I love you, you know that, right?"

She nods. "I'll see you later." She turns around and heads for the front door.

He sighs, his eyes stinging and his chest burning. He tries to take in a breath, but little air reaches his lungs. He coughs and stares downwards, a lone tear falling victim to gravity and soaking through the newspaper. He tilts his head back and stares up at the ceiling, praying to God that this will work out, that everything will be okay.

He shrugs his shoulder and glances down at the crossword puzzle again, his thumb tracing over the clue he had just read before Brennan walked in. "Six letters, sociopath, beginning with 'P'." He pauses, staring at the boxes. _Pelant, _he thinks with a scowl, even thinking his name is making his blood boil. Suddenly, his eyes widen and a small smile tugs at the corners of his lips. _That's it! _He writes in the letters, and folds the paper, tucking it under his arm. He jumps off the stool, it crashing to the floor. He jumps at the sound of the crash, but leaves it there, bolting towards the door. He grabs his keys and leaves the house.

* * *

Booth strolls into the lab and heads for Brennan's office, the newspaper firmly in his hand. His smile quickly falls away when he's intercepted by Angela. He flinches as she raises her hand and ducks away from the hit to the back of his head that he knows is coming.

Angela crosses her arms across her chest and glares at him. "What the Hell is wrong with you?"

He sighs, taking a step back a little. "Is Bones in her office?"

"No." Angela pauses. "You broke her."

"I need to see Bones, Angela. It's important."

"You better have a damn good explanation for telling her you don't want to marry her."

"I never said I _didn't_ want to marry her. I just said it wasn't a good idea."

Angela rolls her eyes. "She was so happy, Booth."

"Ange—."

Angela's eyes darken. "Don't 'Ange' me."

Booth looks behind Angela and sees Brennan head straight for her office. "Bones!"

Brennan jerks, but continues into her office.

Booth walks past Angela, ignoring her glare, and pushes the door to Brennan's office open. "Bones—."

"I'm working, Booth, so unless you're here to tell me we have a case—."

He cuts her off and sets the newspaper in front of her. "I'm not."

She looks down at it and then looks back up at him. "I'm working, Booth. I don't have time to help you with a clue."

"Please. Eighteen across. I can't figure it out."

She sighs and lifts the folded paper up. "Sociopath," she reads and looks at the corresponding boxes. She furrows her brows and meets his gaze again. It's hopeful, she notices.

"Just…trust me, okay?"

She blinks, looking back down at the puzzle. She notices the word 'Engagement' scribbled into the first ten boxes across the top in Booth's legible scrawl. She looks at him again and raises an eyebrow at him.

"I love you," he whispers with a smile, seeing her genius brain turning.

She nods, handing him back the paper. "I have work to do, Booth."

His face falls and then he turns to leave. Before he's completely facing the door, however, he catches her lips curve into a small but genuine smile. _Everything is gonna be okay._ He lets out a breath and walks out of her office.

* * *

**_The End. _**


End file.
